On January 26, WildDrone launched drone operations at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya, after securing the necessary flight permits. WildDrone is an international training network funded by the European Union to research and develop the use of drones for wildlife conservation.
The WildDrone team has worked closely with Kenyan partners and authorities including the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Airforce and Kenya Flying Labs, to secure the permits and ensure that drone operations comply with all safety and regulatory requirements. In June, WildDrone achieved five days of successful beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) test flights in Ol Pejeta.
The first operational flights this January have laid the groundwork for next stages of the project. The team is testing systems, training team members and collecting initial data. WildDrone’s PhD candidate Guy Maalouf is streamlining safety protocols and developing innovative tools like automated checklist software and a real-time operations website.
Maalouf said the initial flights marked a critical step forward. “My work focuses on enabling safe BVLOS drone operations for conservation. Although today we started with line-of-sight flights, it’s an important foundation. Wildlife conservation provides a meaningful use case to address challenges around safety and regulatory compliance, and the insights we gain here can also help unlock scalable BVLOS operations for other sectors.”
Associate professor Kjeld Jensen noted the importance of collaboration with local stakeholders when it came to obtaining the flight permits. “Securing these permits required strong partnerships with local experts and government authorities. Building trust and transparency with local stakeholders ensures that our operations are both safe and compliant with local guidelines. We are very grateful for the level of service and support that we have received, these relationships are key to the success of our project.”
For more information
